jodyearley.com

We have it pretty good in life. Many of us are going to drop $199 to upgrade to the new iPhone 4s. Meanwhile, more than a billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water. I don’t mean that their pipes don’t work; I mean that they have to walk hours each day to collect dirty water from stagnant ponds and muddy rivers.

I don’t want to sit by and just do nothing, so I picked one cause I think everyone can agree on. I’m working to give people something they absolutely cannot do without — the most basic of health needs.

I want to give people clean drinking water.

My goal is to raise $199, the cost of one iPhone upgrade..

There’s a lot of need in the world. I’m starting here. Will you join me by simply donating $4 or more? Go to the following link to donate: http://mycharitywater.org/4s

Before Billy Graham became “America’s Pastor”, he was simply known as Billy. His best friend, Charles Templeton, was an evangelist and the two young men began strategizing on how to win the world for Christ. That plan takes a turn when Templeton leaves the faith and becomes an atheist. Charles would later become the great intellectual for agnosticism and atheism. Billy would become one of the greatest messengers for the Christian Gospel. It is a story between friends regarding Atheism vs Christianity, betrayal and hope. Billy by William Paul McKay and Ken Abraham

It’s easy to get bogged down with the urgent things in life, the things that are screaming for our attention. Although many of those urgent things in life are important many of them are not, they’re just immediate. If I’m not careful I will sometimes neglect the important for the urgent because I don’t take the time to distinguish between the two. Don’t get me wrong the urgent things have to be done, but not at the expense of the important. Here are some practical things that help me to make sure that the important things are getting done.

1. Know my priorities.
Sounds simple, but before I can focus on what is important I must know what’s important. What’s important to God, my family, my job, or to making progress in a particular area?

2. Block out time.
While urgent things demand my time I have to make time for what’s important. I put the important things on my calendar and make sure they get my attention.

3. Just say no.
Because something is demanding my attention doesn’t necessarily mean it requires my attention. I ask myself, “Does this really need my involvement or can I have someone else give this the needed attention it requires?”

What are some ways that you make sure the important things are getting attention?

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God is more concerned about WHY we do something than WHAT we are doing. God examines our heart and we should take the time to do the same. Here’s some questions to ask:

1. Why am I doing this? What is my motivation?
2. Would I do this if nobody ever found out?
3. I’m I doing this simply to make myself look good and to impress others?

It’s not about rules and it’s not about rituals. It’s about loving God and loving people. That’s it.

This truth is so simplistic, yet so profound. We tend to muddy it with so many other things and loose sight of it’s importance.

Love God. Love People.